Batgirl has undergone several transformations over the years, with the most recent redo (brought on by The New 52) being met with much fanfare as it saw the return of the original Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, to the role. Also having Gail Simone writing the book doesn’t hurt either. While most were excited about the pairing and what it would bring, this move came right after the previous creative team had solidified Stephanie Brown as a worthy successor. Since The New 52, she has yet to resurface. While I was ecstatic to have Babara back, there was a small raincloud above the whole thing. DC had finally gotten me to care about Stephanie and get into the book's overall light-hearted tone, and then they yank the rug out from under me.

(Official Art)

As we reported last week, there is a new creative team in town, and with them comes a new direction. One considerably lighter in tone, which is welcome among the constant grittiness of the New DCU (Futures End, Lights Out, Godhead, the list goes on). While it’s still Babs underneath the cowl, there are numerous changes taking shape. Gone is the more traditional armored spandex, and in its place is a superhero costume that evokes a feeling of youthfulness and style. Barbara will also be moving to Burnside, a hipper more trendy area of Gotham, all the while trying to rebuild her life after the events of Simone's last arc.

The new look was crafted by Cameron Stewart and Babs Tarr, the latter of which is taking on full time art duties on the title. This is her first full-time comic gig, and she went into some detail about starting the book with the writing team of Stewart and Brendan Fletcher (Batman Inc., Wednesday Comics) in a group interview with MTV news. It’s definitely worth a look, and they heavily infer that the brightness and energy of the art and costume are reflected in the writing and direction of the character as well.

Come October, the Batverse will get just a bit brighter, and I’m all for it. Others are as well it seems, so here are a few of my favorite fan made renditions of the new design.